Rush - Permanent Waves (1980)
Rush - Permanent Waves (1980)
"That cover was a real headache for me, because Geddy was off producing Lionel's at the time, and I think maybe Alex was away or something, and I was the only one that was around. And I kept getting these phone calls about, well, you can't do this and you can't do that, and there was, in fact, in the back of the hurricane scene there was a little Coca-cola sign, and the Coca-cola people wouldn't let it go on there, because it was too close to the semi-naked thighs of this girl, you know, this.... They didn't want the connotations of sexuality."
"I walked out and, in the doorway, said "Wait! Let's try something with Donna Reed, with her permanent Toni hairdo, and have her walking out of a tidal wave situation."
"Neil gave me this blank look and said, 'Get out of here.'"
"The following day, he asked me to consider doing just that because he'd discussed it with the band, and they'd all thought it was more likely for a cover than the serious approach."
"We shot the newspaper with the headline "Dewey Defeats Truman," which now looks like "(Arabic)-Daily-(Arabic)," because we got a threat from the legal people at the Chicago Tribune, who are still embarrassed about their over-anxious printing of that headline."
Interviewer: I noticed that the "Y"in "Dewey" has been changed to an "I" in the headline.
"That's because anything that pertains to that headline, according to the Chicago Tribune, is an embarrassment, and is subject to litigation if we were to print up any facet of it."
"To boot, Coca-Cola asked that we strip out their billboard way off in the background because it was too close to a cotton-clad mons pubis."
"This is where a sense of humor comes into it. I was sitting there thinking of the conclusion of the song and the parody came into my mind. And I thought, 'Well, either this is very stupid or it's very great.'"
"But all it says is...salesman as artists I can see as an ideal, but they have no place telling us what to play onstage and they have no place in the recording studio telling us how to write songs...any more than a car salesman.'"
The Spirit of Radio --- ------ -- ----- Begin the day with a friendly voice, A companion unobtrusive Plays the song that's so elusive And the magic music makes your morning mood. Off on your way, hit the open road, There is magic at your fingers For the Spirit ever lingers, Undemanding contact in your happy solitude. Invisible airwaves crackle with life Bright antennae bristle with the energy Emotional feedback on timeless wavelength Bearing a gift beyond price, almost free All this machinery making modern music Can still be open-hearted. Not so coldly charted, it's really just a question Of your honesty, yeah, your honesty. One likes to believe in the freedom of music, But glittering prizes and endless compromises Shatter the illusion of integrity. For the words of the profits were written on the studio wall, Concert hall And echoes with the sounds of salesmen.
"That's a funny question. I've had a few lately from people who are so sure that what they hear is correct, that they disbelieve what I've put in the lyric sheets! Imagine! People have quoted me whole verses of what they hear, as opposed to what's printed, sure that they are right and the cover (me) is wrong. Scary stuff, these egocentric individuals. I assure you, other than perhaps dropping an "and" or a "but," we take great care to make the lyric sheets accurate."
"Lotus-land as it appears in 'Free Will' is simply a metaphor for an idealized background, a 'land of milk and honey.' It is sometimes also used as a pejorative name for Los Angeles, though that was not in my mind when I wrote it."
Freewill -------- There are those who think that life has nothing left to chance, A host of holy horrors to direct our aimless dance. A planet of playthings, We dance on the strings Of powers we cannot perceive "The stars aren't aligned - Or the gods are malign" Blame is better to give than receive. You can choose a ready guide in some celestial voice. If you choose not to decide, you still haven't made a choice. You can choose from phantom fears and kindness that can kill; I will choose a path that's clear- I will choose Free Will. There are those who think that they were dealt a losing hand, The cards were stacked against them- they weren't born in Lotus-Land. All preordained- A prisoner in chains- A victim of venomous fate. Kicked in the face, ou can't pray for a place In heaven's unearthly estate. Each of us- A cell of awareness- Imperfect and incomplete. Genetic blends With uncertain ends On a fortune hunt that's far too fleet.
Jacob's Ladder ------- ------ The clouds prepare for battle In the dark and brooding silence. Bruised and sullen stormclouds Have the light of day obscured. Looming low and ominous In twilight premature Thunderheads are rumbling In a distant overture... All at once, the clouds are parted. Light streams down in bright unbroken beams... Follow men's eyes as they look to the skies. The shifting shafts of shining weave the fabric of their dreams...
Entre Nous ----- ---- We are secrets to each other Each one's life a novel No-one else has read. Even joined in bonds of love, We're linked to one another By such slender threads. We are planets to each other, Drifting in our orbits To a brief eclipse. Each of us a world apart, Alone and yet together, Like two passing ships. Just between us, I think it's time for us to recognize The differences we sometimes fear to show. Just between us, I think it's time for us to realize, The spaces in between Leave room for you and I to grow. We are strangers to each other, Full of sliding panels, An illusion show. Acting well-rehearsed routines Or playing from the heart? It's hard for one to know. We are islands to each other, Building hopeful bridges On a troubled sea. Some are burned or swept away, Some we would not choose, But we're not always free.
Different Strings --------- ------- Who's come to slay the dragon, Come to watch him fall? Making arrows out of pointed words, Giant killers at the call? Too much fuss and bother, Too much contradiction and confusion. Peel away the mystery, Here's a clue to some real motivation. All there really is, The two of us, And we both know why we've come along. Nothing to explain, It's a part of us To be found within a song. What happened to our innocence, Did it go out of style? Along with our naivete', No longer a child. Different eyes see different things, Different hearts beat on different strings. But there are times For you and me, when all such things agree.
Natural Science ------- ------- 1. Tide Pools When the ebbing tide retreats Along the rocky shoreline, It leaves a trail of tidal pools In a short-lived galaxy. Each microcosmic planet A complete society. A simple kind mirror To reflect upon our own. All the busy little creatures Chasing out their destinies. Living in their pools, They soon forget about the sea... Wheels within wheels in a spiral array, A pattern so grand and complex, Time after time we lose sight of the way, Our causes can't see their effects. 2. Hyerspace A quantum leap forward In time and in space, The universe learned to expand. The mess and the magic, Triumphant and tragic, A mechanized world out of hand. Computerized clinic For superior cynics Who dance to a synthetic band. In their own image, Their world is fashioned. No wonder they don't understand. 3. Permanent Waves Science, like nature Must also be tamed With a view towards its preservation. Given the same State of integrity, It will surely serve us well. Art as expression, Not as market campaigns Will still capture our imaginations. Given the same State of integrity, It will surely help us along. The most endangered species, The honest man, Will still survive annihilation. Forming a world State of integrity, Sensitive, open and strong. Wave after wave will flow with the tide, and bury the world as it does. Tide after tide will flow and recede, leaving life to go on as it was...